Cancer Prevention, Survivorship & Care Delivery (CPSCD), Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center, Jacksonville, FL, USA.
Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA.
Cancer Control. 2024 Jan-Dec;31:10732748241264711. doi: 10.1177/10732748241264711.
Breast cancer remains a leading cause of cancer morbidity and mortality worldwide. In the United States, Black women face significant disparities in screening mammograms, experience higher rates of breast cancer at advanced stages, and are more likely to die from the disease.
This study aimed to develop and beta-test a virtual health navigation program to enhance breast cancer care within the Black community. We identified barriers to utilizing virtual patient navigators and factors impacting the adoption of virtual navigation for breast cancer information among Black women.
The vCONET (Virtual Community Oncology Navigation and Engagement) intervention was delivered through the Second Life virtual platform. The informational content was collaboratively developed with community members. Participants engaged in an informational session on risk factors, mammography information, and preventive behaviors. Surveys (n = 18) and focus groups (n = 9) assessed knowledge and insights into perceptions.
Findings revealed a positive impact of the intervention, with participants expressing increased knowledge and willingness to seek further information about breast cancer prevention, and highlighted the engaging nature of the virtual environment, while acknowledging potential technological challenges.
Virtual health navigation shows promise in addressing breast cancer disparities by promoting awareness among Black women. Future efforts should optimize virtual navigation approaches through collaborative engagement for lasting impact, enhancing breast cancer care and equity in communities of color.
乳腺癌仍然是全球癌症发病率和死亡率的主要原因。在美国，黑人女性在乳房 X 光筛查方面存在显著差异，晚期乳腺癌发病率更高，死于该病的可能性更大。
本研究旨在开发和测试虚拟健康导航计划，以增强黑人社区的乳腺癌护理。我们确定了利用虚拟患者导航员的障碍，以及影响黑人女性接受乳腺癌信息虚拟导航的因素。
vCONET（虚拟社区肿瘤学导航和参与）干预措施通过 Second Life 虚拟平台提供。信息内容是与社区成员合作开发的。参与者参加了关于风险因素、乳房 X 光信息和预防行为的信息会议。调查（n=18）和焦点小组（n=9）评估了知识和对看法的见解。
研究结果表明该干预措施产生了积极影响，参与者表示增加了对乳腺癌预防的知识和寻求进一步信息的意愿，并强调了虚拟环境的吸引力，同时承认潜在的技术挑战。
虚拟健康导航通过提高黑人女性的意识，有望解决乳腺癌的差异问题。未来的工作应通过协作参与来优化虚拟导航方法，以实现持久的影响，从而加强社区的乳腺癌护理和公平性。
